EXPANSION OF THE USEFUL FIELD OF VIEW--LINKS TO DRIVING PERFORMANCE

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

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Abstract

Many older adults are subject to age-related declines in the critical skills that support independence. In particular, physical, sensory, and cognitive functions may deteriorate in later adulthood, and it is widely accepted that these deficits contribute to a decline in the ability to carry out everyday activities. In addition, the functional impact of such deficits may make older individuals more susceptible to injuries, which can further reduce mobility and independence. One activity which is frequently crucial to maintaining independence, and which is affected by multiple sensory and cognitive factors, is driving. Given that continued mobility is critical in maintaining social contracts, independent functioning, and a satisfying quality of life, and that at least a subset of older adults will experience behavioral and biological changes which will make mobility (specifically driving) more difficult in later life, the primary objective of the proposed field project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a short (15-20 minute) test of functional abilities, to predict driving performance (i.e., crashes and citations) and changes in general mobility over a four year period. A total of 10,000 older adults (age 60 and older) will be tested at 12 DMV license renewal centers in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area. A sample of 1,500 participants will be selected to participate will be selected to participate in a yearly telephone survey. The primary outcome measure will be number of crashes and citations in each year of the follow-up period following the initial screening. Secondary outcome measures of mobility improvement will include frequency of falls and reductions of life space and driving space. skills to the attentional components of the driving task. In addition, the accident frequency and general mobility of the participants will be monitored over the course of the project. The relationship of these findings to those of the field measures obtained in Project I will help to provide converging evidence toward an understanding of the nature and benefits of UFOV training for actual driving. Furthermore, the transfer of UFOV training to other cognitive tasks, particularly negative priming, will be examined. Thus, at the same time that transfer of UFOV training to driving is being assessed, the project will permit an examination of some of the theoretical mechanisms which may underlie this transfer.